When I was a teacher, a parent and former teacher herself gave me a folder emblazoned with gorgeous butterflies. With the folder came a note. A note that said that when she was a teacher, she had a special folder where she kept letters from parents and drawings from her students to remember the positive impact she was making on her students’ lives during the hardest moments of her days in the classroom.
During my teaching career, my butterfly folder occupied a certain place on my desk. Tucked beneath other colorful pocket folders, it was a place where I stashed keepsakes. It contained handwritten notes from my principal, cards from parents, scribbles from my students, and the most treasured item of all- a detailed drawing of my classroom from my most challenging student who wrote how much he loved being in my class.
The items in my butterfly folder probably didn’t take a lot of time to write but they meant the world to me. They lifted me up on the days that I was frustrated and thought about quitting by showing me that my work was appreciated.
As busy as we are, let’s take some time to show appreciation for the teachers who are devoted to teaching our children and make it a part of their job to keep them safe while helping them learn and grow.
Please join me on Monday, December 17, 2012 to take a moment to thank a teacher.
Take some time over the weekend to express your thanks in a card, via email, or by sending in something thoughtful whether it’s flowers, a favorite snack, or your own version of my butterfly folder. Ask fellow parents to join you in saying thanks to the dedicated staff at your school.
If you work in media, join hundreds of bloggers throughout the US in recognizing Thank a Teacher Day 2012, created in loving memory of those who lost their lives in Newtown, CT, and in honor of the hundreds of thousands of teachers who would do what they did for your child.
Post this image on your website, share it with your readers and viewers. Help us to reach other parents and grandparents to thank those who love your children nearly as much as you do.
Because those messages of thanks don’t take a lot of time to express but yet they mean the world to those who dedicate their lives to our children.
To include either image on your website, please copy and paste one of the following codes, or download the image.
Vertical image:
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Horizontal image:
<a href=http://wp.me/PHY8M-2rx”><img src=”http://julieverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/thank-a-teacher.gif”></a>
Huge thanks to Julie from Julieverse for creating the images!
I LOVE the butterfly folder idea. I’m making them tomorrow for our teachers. thank you!
You are most welcome! I know you won’t be surprised to know that I still have mine filled with notes! 🙂
Tomorrow is our Hookey Cookie day where we stay home to bake cookies for all these great teachers. I want to participate in this and share it with everyone I can. Is there an originator for this day? Is it Julie? Just want to give credit where credit is due. Thanks!
Love the images and the idea! Thanks so much for sharing. I am sharing one on my blog in the morning with a story about a teacher I am thankful for (and a link back here!)